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By Amos Odhe, Yenagoa
There is rising mistrust and crisis of confidence withing the fold of the All Progressive Congress (APC) campaign council over alleged cases of short payments and misappropriation of funds.
Sources confirmed that the party’s state chairman, Barr. Dennis Otiotio, who is at the center of the controversy, is accused of underpaying various party committees and party chieftains for campaign mobilisation.
A close source also claimed that the campaign mobilisation fund, which had been 80 per cent released to the party chairman, Barr. Otiotio, was not paid to the committees.
It was gathered that the former deputy governor, Rt. Hon. Peremobowei Ebebi was also a victim of the underpayment by the party chairman.
Ebebi, who was reportedly angered by the alleged withholding of some parts of his Local Government Council campaign funds, allegedly nearly exchange blows with the party chairman at the residence of the party’s governorship candidate in Yenagoa.
Also, former militant leader, Pastor Reuben Wilson, is reportedly angered by the ways and manner, campaign funds are being disbursed by the party chairman.
Already, the conduct of Barr. Dennis Otiotio has painted the APC and Chief Timipre Sylva in bad light before the media practitioners and the leadership of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Bayelsa State, our correspondent said.
Most of the practising journalists are being owed for advert and editorial works during the campaign.
When the state chairman of the NUJ, Comrade Samuel Numonengi intervened to resolve the rising complaint by journalists covering the APC campaigns, the embattled factional APC chairman turned around to accuse the entire NUJ of supporting incubent Governor Douye Diri against Chief Timipre Sylva.
It was gathered that many of Sylva’s supporters are suspicious of the conduct of the party chairman, Barr. Otiotio.
The complaints and protests over the conduct of the party chairman has reportedly gotten to Chief Timipre Sylva.
While some party chieftains claim that the conduct of Barr. Otiotio showed a man who do not trust the governorship aspiration of Chief Sylva and needed to make money for raining days, others claim the governorship candidate of the party, Sylva, is cash strapped and deliberately pushing Barr. Otiotio to take the heat from party members.
Another source, however, claimed that Chief Sylva was openly shocked to discover a multi-million residence allegedly being built by Barr. Otiotio along the new GRA in Yenagoa, the State capital.
He was reported to have been marveled at the level of opulence allegedly displayed by the party chairman.
Sylva was said to have been led to believe the various complaints and allegations levelled against the party chairman.
All efforts made to get the reaction of the APC chairman, Dr. Denis Otiotio, proved abortive as WhatsApp message sent to him was yet to responded to as the time of filling in the report.